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Updated on
November 08, 2007,
M.O.
asks from
Minneapolis, MN
on
October 25, 2007

Seeking Advice About Child Drawing Violent Pictures

My 7 year old son had a homework assignment for class that requires him to write a sentence and draw a picture regarding the sentence. He drew a very violent and disturbing picture. I don't know what to do or how to react. I have never seen him behave violently or draw violence. I wonder if he has seen something on TV or if some kid at school has spoken about this subject. I cannot imagine how he could come up with this scene. I do not allow violent TV shows. I don't let him watch Power Rangers or anything like that. His TV viewing is very limited and monetered by myself and his dad. We do not us corporal punishment I don't know what to do.

More Answers

T.S.
answers from
Minneapolis
on
October 26, 2007

I guess I would ask, what was the sentence he used with the picture or what the picture was about? I'd try to ask if there's anything bothering him. Or maybe just ask what the picture means, kids are usuallly pretty open when they are younger, he may suprise you and tell you what it's about. If you are really worried, you could always call the school and talk to one of the counselors, maybe they can help with some sort of evaluation by talking with your son. I think it's very important to find the underlying issue of the picture and then take any necessary steps from there.

I personally don't think I'd be -too- concerned about it unless he is exhibiting violent behavior as well. I think there's a certain amount of "violence" that comes with being a kid. Even take a look at old Tom & Jerry and Road Runner cartoons and the like.

I think a lot depends on the child, and whether one can distinguish fantasy from reality, and the attitude you take towards it. I have heard that there are many countries where there are plenty of violent video games and other media, for instance, but they have far less gun killings than we do here in the U.S.

I myself tend to not like a lot of the really violent stuff out there, but as a kid, I played cops & robbers and pretended to shoot. Even to this day I play around with my kids like we're shooting or sword-fighting or karate-chopping (maybe not the best idea, but I think we do it in a very playful manner), and I am probably one of the biggest pacifists you would run into. And my son pretends to shoot things and blow things up, and one thing I always hear from his teachers is he's a very compassionate kid.

I am certainly not an expert on the matter, but I thought I'd share a few things from my perspective. I think the point I'm getting at is there are a lot of factors to consider and a drawing may not be too worrisome in and of itself. Hope that's some help. :)

I don't know the details of the picture but ask him if anybody has done anything to him or if anything is bothering him. Maybe just be out there and ask him why he picked that to draw instead of something else. At seven I'd think he'd have a reason for you.

I would talk to your son about it before I talked to anyone else. Ask him why he chose to draw that picture and write that sentence. Listen to what he says. That should give you a lot of information about whether this is coming from tv or a friends or from something deeper. If you think he is just mimicking something he saw or heard then use that opportunity to talk about your values around violence and why you find his picture disturbing. If it seems like its coming from a deeper place, I would talk with him as much as you can and then talk to his teacher to see if he/she has noticed anything unusual. If the violent images continue, I would consider having him talk to a counselor.

I think it could just be a boy thing. I grew up with 3 brothers and they did that sort of thing all the time. My brother got in trouble at school for his drawings. From my experiance boys like to draw weapons, fighting, cars, and super hero type guys.

You can seclude your children from violence in your home, on tv etc.. but once you let them out the door into society, playing outside or going to school they pick up on so much. I'm going to guess the boys play something at recess or talk about "bad" stuff at school.

I have an 8 yr. old son, 51/2 and 21/2sons.
We don't allow violent tv shows, video games, guns, etc.
however, for some reason they still turn sticks into guns, and light sabers etc. who knows where they pick this stuff up sometimes. could just be a commercial or their imaginations.
if your sons picture bothers you that much, I would speak with his teacher- maybe there was something that him and some other kids were talking about that day. or ask your son what the stuff in the picture means. it might be more innocent than it looks. also, a good 'teaching' opportunity to talk about violence.